"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16
The day she long waited for had come without a moment’s notice.
All her fondest dreams were being realized.
She pinched herself for reassurance.
It all seemed too good to be true.
However, as she walked down the aisle,
Butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach.
Overcome by excitement and wonderment,
The day had turned out to be so much more,
Then she could have possibly hoped for.
The honeymoon ended quickly because of his commitment to work.
She brushed it off as nothing too serious,
But as time went by, she realized something that she never noticed before.
He was not as committed to her and their relationship,
As he was to his job, business, and personal endeavors.
Time together as a couple was infrequent and limited.
However, he always seemed to have time for church, family, and friends.
The flowers stopped coming.
Special occasions soon lost their meaning.
Before long, they fell into the rut of two ships passing in the night.
Soon, they were living like roommates instead of like husband and wife.
Years went by and he discouraged her from keeping her friends.
All the connections she had to pass relationships were frowned upon.
He even distanced her from her own family at times,
Focusing mainly on them spending time with his family, his friends, and his affiliations.
Slowly, she found herself feeling more isolated and lonelier.
Growing frustrated and dissatisfied, she purposed not to let the roots of hatred take root.
At times, though, she felt bitter towards him, but she still loved him.
Things took a turn for the worse when they started having children.
The attention that she used to give to him,
Now was being directed towards the children.
He was clearly jealous and grew angrier with each new child that was born.
He accused her of loving the children more,
Of not having time for him,
Although he clearly made no effort to help her out at home,
Or with the rearing of the children.
This man whom she had so loved and revered,
This man whom she had once been so proud to call her fiancé,
This man whom she had been so excited to spend her entire life with,
This man to whom she could compare no one because she hadn’t been with anyone else,
This man whom she was expecting to be her best friend and the spiritual leader in their home,
Turned out to be quite a stranger whom she had never met before.
Almost overnight, he had transformed into someone altogether different.
He spoke highly of her in the public sphere,
But at home, he was demeaning.
When they were out with friends, he had nothing but praise to shower upon her,
But behind closed doors, he degraded her and made her feel worthless.
They were the model-couple as far as everyone else was concerned.
However, little did everyone knows how violent and loveless their relationship really was.
Infidelity had been a darling secret of his,
Especially after childbirth changed her hourglass figure.
Pornography also ravaged his private, late-night, closed-door rendezvouses in the office.
Whenever she was too tired for intercourse,
He would become extremely outraged,
And resort to treating her like a little child,
Who had done something wrong, deserving of punishment?
Whenever she fell victim to his rage,
She would simply take a few days off to recuperate,
Staying away from intimate settings where her secret could be found out.
When it was time to resume her previous routine,
She would simply cover up her marks as best as possible,
Put on a bright, warm smile, and a good face to hide her pain and suffering,
All the while speaking well of him and their marriage and family.
However, deep inside, she knew she was living a nightmare.
“Lord, wake me up because I must be dreaming!” she cried.
“I love this man so much, even though his actions every day,
“Tell me that he neither loves nor cares for me or these children.
“Please show me what to do!”
As she knelt in prayer in the laundry room at 2 A.M. that morning waiting for a response,
The Lord reminded her of the vows they made on that fateful day many years before.
With that in mind, she decided that going forward,
She would commit a portion of each and every day of her life,
To pray for him, for herself, for their marriage, and for their family.
Only time would tell the outcome of this sincere expedition of faith she was venturing on,
Because she desperately believed that God was willing and able,
To do far more than she could possibly ever think, dream, or imagine,
In an effort to hear her heartfelt prayer.
But until the answer manifested itself,
By God’s grace and with the Holy Spirit’s help,
She made a concerted effort to love him, honor him, serve him, and be faithful to him,
With her whole heart,
In spite of all his character defects,
As she sought to genuinely reflect the beautiful character of her loving Savior.
